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DENNIS KNIGHT: Calvary, SCPS make runs for playoff positioning

The Calvary Day football team is preparing for a run in the Class A Private School playoffs. The Cavaliers get a test tonight to see how far they’ve come since losing their first two games of the season.

Since then the Cavaliers have reeled off seven victories in a row to earn a spot in the Region 3-A title game at Herschel Walker Field in Wrightsville against Johnson County.

A win would secure a home game for the Cavaliers (7-2) in the first round of the playoffs. A loss might mean Calvary Day would be on the road, depending on how the Maxpreps.com power rankings shake out.

Calvary has a high-octane offense led by senior quarterback Michael Peterson, who has done a great job in his first year as a starter running the spread offense.

Peterson has put up some impressive numbers — completing 70 percent of his throws for 1,973 yards with 24 touchdowns and just three interceptions.

Johnson County (9-0) is in the midst of a breakthrough season, and the Trojans also have a dynamic quarterback. Senior Markel Horne rushed for 332 yards and six touchdowns and passed for 157 yards and two more scores in a 65-29 win over Emanuel County Institute, according to the Macon County Telegraph. Horne leads the team with 691 yards rushing on the season

Horne sometimes shares quarterbacking duties with junior Michael Taylor, who is second on the team with 678 yards rushing.

“They like to switch their quarterbacks around a little bit,” Calvary Day coach Mark Stroud said. “That kid Horne can go, and they have some dynamic players. They run the spread, but they are a run-heavy team using the power read and the jet sweep a lot.”

Calvary won the last meeting between the schools two years ago, 37-18. The team’s have some common opponents this year. Johnson County beat host Savannah Christian 14-7 in its fifth game of the season, which moved the Trojans into the top 10 among all Class A schools in the Georgia Sportswriters poll. Calvary Day beat visiting Savannah Christian 37-0 without scoring a point in the second half.

But Stroud knows this game will be a challenge, as the Cavaliers make the four-hour round trip to Wrightsville.

Johnson County is averaging 36.3 points per game, while allowing 9.1 points. Calvary Day averages 40 points per contest, while giving up 11.4. Johnson County is currently ranked fourth in the Sportswriters poll, while Calvary sits at No. 12.

“They are very well coached, there’s a reason why they are 9-0,” Stroud said. “For us, we’re just trying to work steady and prepare well. We don’t want to make too much or too little of this game, while understanding what’s at stake. When all the emotion and smoke clear, we need to play smart and play together to win.”

Calvary Day has been doing just that during its seven-game win streak. The Cavaliers have a balanced offense with running backs Robert Heyward (703 yards rushing, 321 yards receiving and seven total touchdowns) and Derek Kirkland (503 yards rushing, 407 yards receiving and 17 offensive touchdowns) both able to run between the tackles or catch the ball out of the backfield. Jordan Walker and Khaliq Hughes lead a sure-handed receiving corps. They have combined for 52 catches, 846 yards and 10 touchdowns.

But it’s been the defense that has been the key to the Cavaliers’ success. After giving up 70 total points in losses to Landmark Christian and Bryan County, Calvary has allowed just 33 total points in the seven wins that followed.

Kirkland and Heyward are key linebackers. Nose tackle Andre Wilson anchors a quality line that includes Josh Imholz and Michael Strong and A.J. Keene leads a solid secondary. Tonight’s game should serve as a barometer as to how far this Cavalier team has come.

SCPS hoping to make playoffs

Savannah Christian coach Donald Chumley has been crunching the numbers and studying the different scenarios and it looks like the Raiders have a solid chance to sneak into the Class A Private School playoffs with a win at Treutlen tonight.

Savannah Christian (4-4-1) has won two in a row after dropping four straight. The Raiders beat host Savannah Country Day 15-6 last week behind a strong defensive effort.

Treutlen (4-5) is also having an up-and-down season.

“I’m hearing that we could get in with a win,” Chumley said. “But Treutlen is a dangerous team. They have dealt with injuries like a lot of teams and have struggled lately. But if we turn over the ball, they will beat us. Consistency hasn’t been our forté this year, so we need to put together a good game and hold on to the ball.”

The brackets for Class AAAAAA through Class AA should be posted by the GHSA on Sunday, but the Class A private and public school brackets will come out later in the week. The final Maxpreps.com power rankings will be posted Tuesday, and teams have until Wednesday to appeal their rankings. The top 16 teams in both the private and public Class A classification make the playoffs. Region champions are automatically in, all other teams are selected through the power rankings.

Dennis Knight covers high school sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at 912-652-0329 or dennis.knight@savannahnow.com. Follow him on Twitter @DennisKnightSMN.